Apparatus for purifying air in closed chambers



Patented Mar. 19, 1935 1,995,191 f UNITED STATES PATENT o l-EicEvl APPARATUS FOR `PURIFYING AIR I CLOSED CHAMBERS Robert Rutledge, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application December 10, 1932, Serial No. 646,581 Claims. (Cl. 62-89) It is a matter of common knowledge that, when Fig., 1 is -a vertical section of the apparatus; food is kept in closed refrigerating chambers in and 1 v 'i which the temperature is above the freezing point, Fig. 2 a section on the line A2 2 in Fig.`1.. foul gases are generated which polluteV thek air In the drawing like numerals of reference in- 5 and spoil the taste and smell of the food. dicate corresponding parts in the different figures. 5

While this trouble is found in practically all Referring Ato the drawing,'1 is Aa. refrigerating refrigerators, it is particularly noticeable in rechamber of ordinary construction such as com.- frigerators employing mechanical refrigeration monly employed byy merchants. Within this in which the refrigerating unit is usually a coil chamber at its upper end'is suspended the refrigpositioned adjacent the top of the chamber, and eratingy unit ,2, which is usually a coil of some 10 my object is to device a simple and eflicient methkind through which a cooling medium is circuod of purifying the air in the chamber and prelated. venting the contamination of the food. Surrounding the refrigerating unit is a wall The invention is based on the discovery that core spaced from the interior of the cham'ber at still fresh water Will absorb the air contaminatall sides, thus forming a vertical flue 3. Air cooled ing gases, so that by bringing the foul air in a by the refrigerating unit thus drops to the botchamber into contact with the surface of a body tom of the chamber 1 displacing the warmer air of such water the air will be kept pure provided therein which flows up through the ue 3 to the the water be renewed as rapidly as may be nectop of the chamber.

essary to maintain its power to absorb foul gases Sultably supported at or about the level of the 20 or other odoriferous matter. top of the wall 4 is a refrigerating pan or pans 5.

Briey the invention may be described as fol- Two pans 5 are shown connected yby the pipe 6. lows. A shallow pan is located in the chamber. Into one of the pans discharges the water supply Into this pan fresh Water is caused to flow quietly pipe 7 which extends from the outside through at a rate suiiicient to maintain its absorptive the wall of the chamber. This pipe is provided 25 powers. The pan is provided with an overow with the controlling valve 8 by means of which which maintains a. constant water level in the the rate of supply of fresh water to the pans may pan. be accurately regulated. These pans have a In a refrigerator this pan will be located at surface area as largeaspossible,while their depth the top of the chamber above the refrigerating is comparatively small since it is not necessary 30 unit, though it may also be desirable to locate to hold a large body of water provided the supa similar pan below the refrigerating unit and ply of fresh water is adequately maintained. to drain the upper pan thereto. Thermo-si- The opposite long sides of the pans fit close -to phonic action is depended upon to circulate air two opposite sides of the flue wall, while the other over the upper pan down over the refrgerating Sides 0f the ue Wan Close t0 the Short ends 35 unit and over the lower pan when one is used. 0f the pam l Suitable ues and guiding means are provided Each pan 5 1S provlfed Wlth an Overflow pme to aid this circulation 9, the upper end of which extends sufficiently far Usually the rate of change of Water will be such above loge ttofm oft thi D; to fenple h? nel? as to change the contents of the upper tank once esryns gaga' eri gs disll altnet m t e 40 every twenty-four hours and the change may 1 he o f 0W gp dge (L Wo pans be either stepwise or continuous provided the abe .0W t e re. ngera mg mt an eac. of these pans 1n turn discharges to the collecting pan 11 sorptlve power of the Water 1S properly mam". from which leads the discharge pipe 12 provided tained. with the usual trap 13. The temperature of the water will generally The Overflow pipes 14 of the pans 10 are arn be about that 0f the air in the Chamber Which ranged in a similar manner to the overow pipe 9 helps absorption and also facilitates the air cirso that a given depth of Water may be mainculation. tained in each of these pans 10. The water does not, therefore, in any way act The result of the construction described is that 50 aS a QOOIDg medium, but Only 8S a deodorant air is coled by the refrigerating unit and drps The invention iS hereinafter more Specifically to the bottom of the refrigerating chamber disdescribed and apparatus utilizing its principles placing the warm air'which passes up the flue 3 is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in over the tops of the pans 5 and down between which these pans at the centre to the refrigerating unit 55 from which the air, now cooled by contact with the refrigerating unit, passes over the surfaces of the water in the pans 10 and l1 and thence to thel bottom of the chamber. The air is thus constantly in circulation over the surface of still water which absorbs the objectionable odors and atmospheric impurities as hereinbefore referred to. t

The features of 'importance in my invention to obtain the best results are: that substantially pure water is employed, that is the water contains no other soluble impurities than are contained in good drinking water: that the water be'"still", that is not in .a disturbed or finely divided state; that the air in thel chamber be caused to flow over its surface; that Aits temperature be above that of the air at the bottom of the chamber as this favors circulation of air' and the absorption of odoriferous matter therefrom; and that the water be located close to the top of the chamber, as it is desirable and easier to remove the impurities before the air is chilled by the refrigerating unit.

The advantages of this invention are: first objectionable odors are removed from the air in the refrigerator and from the food; secondly that, by the removal of impurities from the air surrounding it, the food keeps better; thirdly, the pure air acquires the natural degree of humidity to keep the food in good condition; and lastly that the purified and conditioned air is more easily cooled which reduces the running time of the refrigerating unit and thus reduces the tendency to dehydration which causes loss of weight and deterioration of lthe quality of the food.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. Refrgerating apparatus comprising a closed chamber; a refrigerating unit positioned in the chamber adjacent the top thereof; a pan polsitioned in the chamber above the refrigerating unit adapted to contain a shallow body of water of extended surface; means for supplying fresh water to said pan and withdrawing surplus; and means for guiding rising air over the pan and for directing it down to the refrigerating unit and towards the bottom of the chamber.

2. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a closed chamber; a refrigerating unit positioned in the chamber above the bottom thereof; a pan positioned in the chamber above the refrigerating unit adapted to contain a shallow body of still water of extended surface; a similar pan below the refrigerating unit; means for supplying fresh water to said upper pan and withdrawing surplus to the lower pan; means for withdrawing surplus water from the lower pan; and means for guiding rising air over the upper pan and for directing it down to the refrigerating unit and thence over the' lower pan to pass to the bottom of the chamber.

3. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a closed chamber having a food space adjacent the bottom; a refrigerating unit positioned in the chamber adjacent the top thereof; a pan positioned in the chamber above the refrigerating unit adapted to contain a shallow body of water of extended surface; a flue at one side of the refrigerator adapted to le/ad air from the'food space to the top of the chamber close to one side of the pan, the opposite edge of the pan being located -above the middle of the unit, so that air rising from the food space up the flue passes over the surface of the pan, thence down to the refrigerating unit and thence to the food space again.

4. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a closed chamber having a food space adjacent the bottom; a refrigerating unit centrally positioned in the chamber adjacent the top thereof; two pans spaced from one another laterally to form an air passage between them, each pan being adapted to contain a shallow body of water of extended surface; a ue at each side of the refrigerator adapted to lead air from the food space to the top of the chamber close to the vouter sides'of the pans, so that air rising from the food space -at opposite sides of the chamber passes over the pans thence through the space between the pans to and through the refrigerating unit and thence tothe food space again.

5. Refrigerating apparatus as set forth in claim 4 provided also with fiues at the remaining sides of the chamber leading air from the food space to the ends of the pans.

ROBERT RUTLEDGE. 

